2004 :

• 4th Quarter 2004: Global Markets 4th quarter 2004 - The 59 million Americans who voted for George W. Bush
  Fifty six million people didn't vote for George Bush. That wasn't enough to stop George Bush from being elected for a second term in the White House. [ More... ]

• 3rd Quarter 2004: Global Markets 3rd quarter 2004 - The roller coaster ride of the Rand
  These days, the word "certainty" is seldom used in conjunction with the Rand. However, there is one certainty that we have come to associate with the Rand in more recent years. It is neither the strength nor weakness of the Rand, but rather something connected to both – it's VOLATILITY. [ More... ]

• 2nd Quarter 2004: Global Markets 2nd quarter 2004 - The China Story
  By mid 2002, China made up 12% of world GDP - which is a marked improvement from having represented 3% some 22 years ago. It was already projected then that by the end of 2003 China would be the world's biggest consumer of platinum, copper, iron ore and aluminium. During 2003 the Chinese economy grew by 9.1% and at an annualised rate of 9.7% during the first quarter of 2004. [ More... ]

• 1st Quarter 2004: Global markets 1st quarter 2004 - the weak US dollar
  Is it really America’s problem at the moment? Well, if you think about it carefully – not really. But let’s first look at what caused the US Dollar to weaken. Over the past number of years, as growth in the USA has often exceeded the average growth achieved in many other countries, American consumers have relied more heavily on imports. As a result, America needs to borrow more in order to finance the trade account deficit that has come about as a result of these increased imports. American exports grew by 4.6% in 2003, while imports grew by some 8.3%. [ More... ]